Back In the Game – Interview with Treach and Vinnie of Naughty By Nature

by Walt Smith / Schwegweb.com

Hip hop hit makers Naughty By Nature are back in the game with a hype release titled “IICONS”. We here at schwegweb.com got a candid chance to sit down with Treach and Vinnie and get an inside look into the minds of these hip hop big guns on their Michigan appearence. A loud shout out goes to TVT Records for making this come together.

Schwegweb.com: Why has Naughty By Nature taken such a long break from the industry before droppin the new album?
Vinnie: “It was kinda a forced situation. We were going thru internal drama with the group. Their are two members as apposed to three now so after the last album in 99 when we put out Jamboree K finally chose to leave or what ever. Then after that Arista dropped us off the label which basically, we had to start from scratch. Start all new music, all new beats, all new producers and shopping new deals. TVT records is the label who stepped up and said we believe in you two as song writers and producers, not just one person so TVT made it happen.”

With so many new artists coming up in the biz, where do you see Naughty By Nature in four years.
Treach: “Well I’m working on a new solo album, were looking to put out a new Naughty record every year. I’m doing a gang of movies now. Look out this summer for LOVE and a BULLET, I gotta role on Showtimes Soul Food. Gotta a brand new H.B.O. series we about to do, an H.B.O. movie coming out called CONVICTIONS. Just multi media. More music, more movies. Getting back into the gear and every thing . Just lockin it down, you know what I mean. We don’t ever limit ourselves , we will be doing this, that, and what ever. What ever we got the love for we are just gonna roll out and do it just to expand. Your gonna see more groups, your gonna see the ROTTEN RASCALS and more groups you heard in the past.”

What can your fans expect from this album?
Treach: “Naughty has their own sound. Every body thought that Naughtys sound was just a producer you know what I mean. No it’s not, we always co produce, we have our own style. We know how to get hot tracks, we put things together. We go out their and make the songs, you know what I mean. We make the contest, we write the anthems , we write the hooks so your just gonna keep hearing that authentic sound. With all the bands out their now and artists thru the years that were NAUGHTY fans they kinda adapted the NAUGHTY sound. Now we have to switch our styles up you know what I mean. We just don’t feel like making an album that sound like the last one, you know what I mean. You could just listen to the last album then.”

Vinnie: “We make O.P.P and Hip Hop Hurray and leave it as it is and we move on.”

What advice can you give to new artist out their trying to make it in the biz?
Vinnie: “Now the market is really so cluttered and flooded. Their seem to be more artists then fans so every bodies trying to get in the game. You gotta put in a lot more work now and really invest in your self to grab the attention of these labels. I think some of the southern artists did it the best, they invested in them selves, pressed their own material, have a local relationship with their radio stations and record stores. They were actually able to do numbers independently and then go to the labels and say, look we moved 50 000 units basically out of the trunk and that makes it look attractive.If you have some kind of homegrown following and some kind of regional activity it makes it easier for the label to get you now.”

Treach: “Like Vinnie said, the way the south do it. Their not scared to go out there and sell it out of the trunk. That’s the problem now, to many artists come out like I want a deal over night but it don’t work that way. You gotta have a following and experience in the game before you get into it. Basically you gotta know the game. Go take a music course, go to the library and get on the internet, read books on the industry. You gotta know about publishers so you don’t get robbed when you get out there. Don’t go up in their with just a demo, go out their with a bio. You gotta realize this is a business before it is any thing else, you gotta be professional. These labels see a million artists want to get signed all the time. You gotta do something that stands out from every body else. Don’t just give’em a cd, give’em a video of your live performance where you just tore it down. Come at them at all angles.”

Do you plan on coming out with your own label in the future?
Treach: “We don’t put limitations on any thing. If it’s their and we have the time to do it 100% we will. Were not gonna put our time into any thing that we can’t put are all into. If we got it like that and we have some one to handle the business end of course. We aint gonna sell our artists out short. That’s like when were out here and artists give us their stuff we aren’t like, hey we can sign you. Were not gonna have you under us when you got talent. We don’t want to hold up any artists under us when you could go somewhere else and make time.”

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